Chu Yang, who had just been full of vigor on the arena, was ordered to be detained by the Sect Leader in the blink of an eye.
Peak Master Qingxu personally took action, sealing his cultivation and sending him to the Enforcent Hall for detention. But the matter didn't end there. First, Chu Yang had allegedly used demonic energy to harm You Yi from Tiandao Sect. Although there was no definitive evidence, an explanation still had to be given to Tiandao Sect. Second, the origin of his demonic sword, and whether his own background was problematic, all needed to be thoroughly investigated.
The righteous path and the demonic path had always been irreconcilable. It was only because the demonic path had been relatively quiet in recent years that both sides hadn't engaged in major conflicts. But the demonic path's troublemaking intentions never died, and friction and confrontations between the two sides had never ceased.
If investigations proved that Chu Yang truly had no connection to the demonic path, that would be fine. But if he was found to have even the slightest suspicion, his fate likely wouldn't be good.
The disciples who had witnessed the entire process sighed in dismay, but since it involved the demonic path, naturally no one felt sympathy for him. As for the atmosphere among the three sects becoming awkward again due to his actions, that was a concern for the Sect Leader and peak masters. Not only the ordinary disciples watching the spectacle, but even Yun Qingyue and Tan Xin, who had made it to the final round of the competition, had no say in the matter.
Yun Qingyue had observed the entire process from below the arena. When the abnormality in Chu Yang was discovered, her taut nerves finally relaxed a bit. However, she instinctively felt that the suspicions about Chu Yang weren't limited to just that sword, but more about him personally.
"Senior Sister, let's go back. You still have a competition tomorrow," Zhong Heng, having finished watching the spectacle, actively called to Yun Qingyue, and couldn't help but mutter, "What was Chu Yang thinking, taking such a crooked path? Earlier, when I saw him fighting evenly with Tan Xin, I thought he might make another coback and win, but who would have thought that his success until now relied on such thods!"
Zhong Heng's words were rely sighs of regret, faintly carrying a sense of disappointnt. But at this ti, there were many people around discussing Chu Yang, and their comnts were even harsher, especially since Chu Yang's dark horse status had indeed made many people jealous.
Yun Qingyue had good hearing and caught all the discussions around her. After walking a few steps with Zhong Heng while holding the little white tiger, she suddenly stopped.
Zhong Heng was still muttering sothing, and noticing she had stopped, he turned back and asked, "What's wrong, Senior Sister?"
Yun Qingyue looked back and saw Tan Xin being helped to his feet by several fellow disciples on the arena—the young monk's cultivation was indeed profound, and with Buddhist cultivation thods' natural suppression of demonic energy, he was the first to discover Chu Yang's abnormality. But the previous duel hadn't been easy for him either; his current condition showed that he must have been injured as well.
Seeing this, Zhong Heng's gaze followed Yun Qingyue's and also spotted Tan Xin, who had almost been forgotten. He frowned, saying with complicated feelings, "Tan Xin seems injured... Senior Sister, do you want to go check on him?"
Yun Qingyue nodded, and conveniently without needing to find an excuse, she took out a bottle of pills and walked over openly.
Tan Xin had red lips and white teeth, appearing very young, and indeed was the youngest among all the disciples. Normally, his fellow disciples would take extra care of him, let alone this ti when he had been injured, making his fellow disciples surrounding him extrely concerned. Seeing Yun Qingyue approach at this ti, so of the more impulsive ones instinctively stepped forward, wanting to shield their little brother behind them.
Fortunately, Tan Xin wasn't affected by Chu Yang and stepped forward on his own, putting his palms together in greeting: "Senior Sister Yun."
Yun Qingyue stopped three steps away, returned the gesture, and then handed over the pills, saying, "This is the Yuqing Pill refined by my Uncle-Master Qinglan, which is quite beneficial for healing injuries. Today's incident was a mistake on our Xuanqing Sect's part, and I hope it won't affect tomorrow's competition."
Buddha Sect naturally didn't lack good dicine, especially since Tan Xin was Buddha's Disciple, and Buddha Sect's elders would certainly not begrudge giving him dicine. However, since Yun Qingyue had co to deliver the dicine out of goodwill, Tan Xin naturally wouldn't refuse. After accepting it and expressing his thanks, he thought for a mont and still said to her: "As for that disciple Chu Yang, Senior Sister Yun should be more careful in the future. This humble monk cannot see through him clearly."
Tan Xin's warning was just this one sentence, and after saying it, he bid farewell and left with his fellow disciples.
But Yun Qingyue, who already had suspicions, understood the deeper aning in his words—the problem wasn't the sword but Chu Yang himself. Although a Spirit Division elder had personally examined him and confird that he cultivated orthodox thods, it still hadn't dispelled Tan Xin's doubts.
Yun Qingyue stood there lost in thought for a mont, then handed the little white tiger to Zhong Heng who had followed, and went to find her master Qingyu.
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What Yun Qingyue said to her master, and how the sect would deal with Chu Yang, were unknown to outsiders. Although this match had taken an unexpected turn, the final round of the martial arts competition still had to continue.
After a peaceful night, with the bells ringing on Mount Lingxia the next day, Yun Qingyue and Tan Xin were once again standing on the arena.
Yun Qingyue stood on the arena with her sword, her crystal eyes looking at her final opponent opposite her—Buddha Sect's Tan Xin, young in age but with unfathomably deep cultivation. The Three Sect Martial Arts Competition had co down to just the two of them, and the outco of this match not only concerned the honor of their sects but also related to the distribution of benefits among the three sects for the next sixty years.
She hadn't expected to surpass several senior brothers and reach this final step, but since she was already standing here, she absolutely couldn't be careless!
"Yun Qingyue of Xuanqing Sect, please advise ," Yun Qingyue said softly, her long sword pointed diagonally at the ground.
The young monk had recovered overnight, and today he appeared to have recovered, standing on the arena still with his composed deanor. Hearing Yun Qingyue announce herself, he put his palms together and said, "Senior Sister Yun, for our contest today, how about we decide with a single strike?"
Yun Qingyue was slightly stunned, not expecting Tan Xin to make such a request, and then imdiately thought of his injury from yesterday. Although she had sent the Yuqing Pill, and Buddha Sect certainly didn't lack dicine, probably no one could use Azure Essence Spirit Marrow as dicine like the little white tiger did. Even if the injuries had recovered overnight, damage to one's spiritual energy would still affect the competition. It was probably because of this that Tan Xin proposed deciding the winner with a single strike, right?
In the blink of an eye, Yun Qingyue had figured out the connection. She had no intention of taking advantage of soone, especially since the Chu Yang incident was ultimately Xuanqing Sect's fault. So she nodded and readily agreed: "Very well."
Hearing this, the young monk's eyes curved slightly, as if he smiled, and then he once again threw out that string of white jade prayer beads.
The white jade prayer beads hung in mid-air, and as Tan Xin ford Buddhist mudras with his hands, the thread connecting the prayer beads broke silently. The broken prayer beads didn't scatter but instead rotated and arranged themselves into a formation. Before anyone could see the pattern of that formation, there was a burst of golden light... It was still Buddha-light, but unlike yesterday's warm and gentle Buddha-light, today's Buddha-light had beco dazzling, as if suddenly transforming from a loving Buddha to a fierce Vajra.
Tan Xin changed his usual arena style, imdiately launching an offensive move. With the premise of deciding victory in a single strike, defense was not the way to win.
Yun Qingyue's reaction wasn't slow either. As Tan Xin ford his mudras, she also made hand seals and swung her sword—as a sword cultivator, even if she discovered her opponent attacking, she would never prioritize defense. She unleashed her strongest sword strike so far, using offense as defense, an unstoppable force. Frost sword intent instantly froze the arena, froze the air, and even froze that dazzling Buddha-light...
When their techniques collided, the spectators below the arena instinctively closed their eyes. It seed as if there was a huge roaring sound, impacting people's minds until they were blank. Yet it also seed as if there was no sound at all, a silence that made people uneasy.
After a mont, soone finally opened their eyes, and looking up at the arena, they saw a scene of complete calm.
There was no dazzling Buddha-light, no terrifying frost. The only two people standing on the arena had straight postures with fluttering robes, like a peaceful and beautiful painting. Fighting, victory or defeat, seed to have nothing to do with them.
More and more people opened their eyes, and faced with such a scene, everyone looked at each other in bewildernt. So people couldn't even react, thinking what they had seen before was their own illusion, confusedly asking those around them: "What, what happened? Is the match already over? Did they actually attack each other? Who won?"
Their companions were equally confused, shaking their heads, also not knowing the outco.
Until soone on the arena moved—Tan Xin extended his hand and opened it, revealing the scattered white jade prayer beads lying quietly in his palm, counting about ten remaining, clearly fewer than the original string. If anyone had sharp eyes, they might see a bit of white powder in his palm, or notice the scattered fragnts of white jade on the arena.
Tan Xin looked at the prayer beads in his palm, recited a Buddhist invocation, and frankly said: "This humble monk has lost."
Once these words were spoken, there was first a mont of silence below the arena, followed by cheers rising to the sky. This was Xuanqing Sect's territory, and now the champion was also their senior sister from Xuanqing Sect. The excitent of the crowd was naturally evident.
Zhong Heng, holding the little white tiger, was stunned for a mont, seemingly not expecting the match to end so quickly, and also not expecting Senior Sister to win so easily. When he ca to his senses, he was extrely delighted. With the barrier on the arena preventing him from going up, in order to release his excitent without thinking, he grabbed the little white tiger perched on his shoulder and tossed her into the air, even forgetting about the precious identity of Jianbing.
The little white tiger was completely bewildered. She had only reacted half a beat slower, and by the ti she ca to her senses, she was already in the air—the little white tiger, who had reached Golden Core cultivation but still couldn't fly, quickly fell back down with her claws and paws flailing. Before Zhong Heng could catch her and throw her again, she twisted her body and stomped one foot on Zhong Heng's face.
Caught off guard by the stomp to his face, Zhong Heng let out a loud "Wah!
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